Backup ups xs 1300 question

[Anonymous user]

We're using backup UPS XS 1300 in our office as a power backup for the office computer & the security board. This one:

https://www.amazon.com/APC-1300VA-Battery-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B000XFXEDW

We had it for quite a while. So last saturday I noticed that the equipment was completely dead. I checked and the issue was this UPS. I tried to restart it by holding the power button, but it refused to start. I was giving off fast beeps when I was holding down the power button. I was able to eventually get the power back on by unplugging this UPS and plugging everything directly into the wall.

Also note that the power did not go out that night. (I can tell by the Microwave clock still being on.) So for some reason this UPS did what it was supposed to guard against -- it killed the power when the wall power was still on 🙂 Also note that I had both computer and the security board plugged into the battery section of the UPS.

So I'm curious if this issue is with the battery or with the unit itself? I don't want to pay for a new battery only to discover that I need to buy a new UPS itself.

[SamirD_apc]

I had the exact same thing happen a few years back with one of our point of sale UPSs.  We replaced the battery and all has been well since then.

[Anonymous user]

Thanks for the reply. Just curious though, did your unit also cut off power when the battery went dead? This is exactly why we're buying these things so that IT DOES NOT happen!

[SamirD_apc]

Yep, sure did.  Closed the business one night and went back in the next morning and it was dead and pos system was off (which cost us some lost revenue).  Luckily it was an easy enough fix to just plug everything directly (or I think I used a spare UPS--can't remember), and once we had a replacement battery all was good.  I was concerned that the UPS might had gone bad and posted here to ask, but it was just the battery.

Here's a link to that original post years ago:

http://forums.apc.com/spaces/5/smart-ups-symmetra-lx-rm/forums/general/11535/sc620-just-died-all-of-...

[Anonymous user]

Oh, wow. Thanks for sharing.

So what do you do now? Do you use the same unit? I'm thinking to get a different brand. I mean, it's ridiculous that it just cuts out the power when the battery dies even though the wall power is still on. Ours gave no audible indication of the problem earlier.

[SamirD_apc]

I use the same brand and the same unit.  APC units usually give warning well in advance of their batteries dying.  This is the first out of dozens of units we have that didn't, so I think it was the exception to the rule vs the usual case.  The usual case will either seeing the replace battery light at some point because of a failure on a self-test or after a power outage when the load was dropped.  It can be intermittent indicating the battery has a bit of life left, but generally once the replace battery light is on, it's time to replace it.

We still buy APC units almost exclusively because of their longevity.  We have units that are 20 years old that just need an APC battery every few years.  I don't think the other brands products would last like this as they have not been exclusively making ups's as long as APC.  

Now if I find a deal on another brand (like a recent find on triplite units in the cdw outlet) when I'm looking for a replacement battery, I will try another brand's unit.  But I don't have as much faith in them simply because I've seen APC units last so long.

[Anonymous user]

Hey, Thanks. Good to know. You're very helpful!

Just from curiosity. How do you pick a UPS unit? Is it the wattage of the stuff that's being plugged into it or what?

[SamirD_apc]

Usually based on the price and the warranty, lol.

Except when I'm actually sizing it for a particular load.  Then to have any decent runtime, I take the number of watts (at 120v) and multiply it by 2 to get the bare minimum VA for the load.  (Keep in mind this isn't the calculation for VA, but it's a rough estimate.)  If I can get more VA, even better as that will extend the runtime.

What I have recently found out is that while the VA sizing for upses generally doesn't change based on the operational voltage (120v/220v/240v), the runtime changes dramatically, decreasing for the same wattage device on higher voltage systems.

[Anonymous user]

I'll be honest. This thing gave me a lot of headache. Main point is that it shouldn't be shutting off by itself when the battery dies without any warning. Why do we even need it then 🙂

So I decided to change companies. Picked this " CyberPower AVRG750U AVR UPS System, 750VA/450W, 12 Outlets ":

https://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-AVRG750U-System-Outlets-Compact/dp/B00K8ZMTAQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_prod...

Will see how it performs. If it does as badly as this one then I'll probably be better off with just a surge protector.

[SamirD_apc]

Keep in mind that once the battery is past the changing point, any UPS will do this immediate dying thing.  And for the record I've seen more of other brands do this than APC.  I have a cyberpower one right now that was pulled out of service years ago for doing that.  Still haven't had time to replace the battery...

[Anonymous user]

Sure. There's no other way to see other than just to get one and try it.

PS. On the side note, how come they can't make them so that the unit starts drawing power from the wall when the battery dies instead of just throwing the towel?

[SamirD_apc · Accepted solution]

Usually, that is how they work.  They will still flicker on power if the power is cut since there isn't a battery, but usually they will still operate with a bad battery.  I think some models vary in this now, but this is how all of our older models operate.

As far as making them so the battery isn't 'inline' but more standby--maybe that's how they used to make them and that's why our older ones don't just flat out die with a bad battery.  And the only reason I could think of that you'd move them back to being inline--cost.  Which would make sense on some of the lower end or midscale models like the back ups series.